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I believe the Elise COULD be marketed successfully to a large American consumer-base without changing a thing. I don't think it would be easy, but it's certainly possible. I think it could be done inexpensively, too. A good start would be to eliminate the "BUT" from auto mag writers' minds. Make them realize that the car is not great "BUT" no amenities, rather it has no amenities "BECAUSE" that means better performance. People will catch on quickly once the writers understand. why "no amenities" is an amenity in itself. 
The perfect example of a car that did exactly what I propose the Elise could do is the VW Beetle. In the late 50s / early 60s, the Beetle was introduced into a market flooded with 2 ton tanks from Detroit. People were conditioned by the media to believe that kind of car was desirable. Then came Volkswagen and with a couple print ads changed the minds of many people who were ready for a car that thought differently. Ever heard of the "Lemon" and "Think Small" ads by Kroner?
Here's one of the ads:
Granted, the ad strategy itself was largely responsible for the car's success. It was ingeniously architected to make people figure out on their own that Detroits behemoths were not as great as they had been made to believe.
I believe that a similar campaign could be created relating to sports cars for the Elise. You've got a huge target market of young males who have been taught to love stripped 4-cyllinders from the whole "import tuner" scene. Once they're in their 30s and 40s and making a decent income, they're the perfect market for the Elise. That would make the Elise the perfect substitute for the Corvette, which is now targeting people who had Mustangs and Camaros in college.
For me, it's not a question of whether Lotus COULD do it. I know they could. It's only a question of if they SHOULD. Lotus' image could be significantly tarnished if owners start adding body kits and 19" rims to them.
The perfect example of a car that did exactly what I propose the Elise could do is the VW Beetle. In the late 50s / early 60s, the Beetle was introduced into a market flooded with 2 ton tanks from Detroit. People were conditioned by the media to believe that kind of car was desirable. Then came Volkswagen and with a couple print ads changed the minds of many people who were ready for a car that thought differently. Ever heard of the "Lemon" and "Think Small" ads by Kroner?
Here's one of the ads:

Granted, the ad strategy itself was largely responsible for the car's success. It was ingeniously architected to make people figure out on their own that Detroits behemoths were not as great as they had been made to believe.
I believe that a similar campaign could be created relating to sports cars for the Elise. You've got a huge target market of young males who have been taught to love stripped 4-cyllinders from the whole "import tuner" scene. Once they're in their 30s and 40s and making a decent income, they're the perfect market for the Elise. That would make the Elise the perfect substitute for the Corvette, which is now targeting people who had Mustangs and Camaros in college.
For me, it's not a question of whether Lotus COULD do it. I know they could. It's only a question of if they SHOULD. Lotus' image could be significantly tarnished if owners start adding body kits and 19" rims to them.